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There has been
a rising interest in the world of mediums
over the last several years. Charlatans
like John Edwards (thankfully, no relation
to me) have tapped into the people's tragedies
by making them believe it is possible to
communicate with dead loved ones. Not to
come off sounding to cynical, I do have
my own set of beliefs when it comes to the
supernatural and have little doubt that
some form of communication might indeed
be possible. Just not from hoaxsters with
TV shows.
Still, this interest has begun to spill
over into the world of episodic television.
Just in the 4-5 years we've seen shows like
"Medium" and "The Ghost Whisperer"
draw big ratings, with both readying for
further seasons. This month Paramount is
releasing the 5th season of "Medium",
and of the two shows, I thought this one
had the lesser chance of success. Of course,
this train of though materialized before
I ever saw a single episode. It was all
about the casting. Patricia Arquette led
the series, portraying a fictionalized version
of a real 'medium' by the name of Alison
Dubois.
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I had never been much of a fan of Patricia Arquette,
considering her to be the lesser talented of the
Arquette siblings. Somehow she managed to star
in a ton of movies, but always seemed to be sleepwalking
through her roles. Emotion and Patricia Arquette
reacted as polar opposites. This is why I was
so surprised that her starring role on a TV series
would somehow equal success. But become a success
it did, going so far as to earn Arquette an Emmy
Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series. So my
curiosity got the best of me and I forced myself
to sit down and watch the 1st season set when
it was originally released.
I learned that if given the right role at the
right time, anybody can be a performer. Arquette's
portrayal of Dubois was as far removed from anything
I saw her attempt in the past as it could be.
Haunted by nightmares and premonitions, as well
as a strange ability to communicate with the dead,
Arquette delivers a character who is often stretched
to the limits of her emotions. And I have to give
the show credit by not making her a flake. She
is a happily married mother of three, and in the
only unbelievable part of the structure, they
are totally understanding and patient about her
abilities.
As the series began, we were introduced to a woman
who does not want the abilities she was born with.
Alison wants to become a lawyer and live a normal
life with her rocket scientist (yes… rocket
scientist) husband. But when she finds she is
able to help solve a murder, she begins to accept
and believe that her 'gift' might have been given
to her for a reason and she pursues it. As the
series progressed her 'powers' only got stronger.
I’ve since watched the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
seasons, and was surprised at how much the show
improved with each season. The stories were getting
darker and the supernatural threats to her family
started becoming more prominent. I’m so
glad to have watched the series on DVD as it has
had its share of foibles with the network. Over
the last season, NBC kept it off the air most
of the time and used it as filler the remainder.
I understand it has since been cancelled following
its 5th season, but was picked up by CBS (who
is going to air it alongside the aforementioned
“Ghost Whisperer”). It always ticks
me off when decent shows (and in many cases…
superlative shows) are treated this way, yet the
networks will continue to air crappy ‘reality
shows.’ As it is, I refuse to watch any
of this sludge for fear of brain cell sucking.
When I watched the 5th season DVD for “Medium”
and had to wonder how in the world NBC could treat
it so shabbily, only to cut it off altogether.
After the events of the previous seasons, it was
good to see life for the DuBois family finally
getting a little respite. Though the episodes
offered up the usual assortment of dead people
seeking retribution, there was enough creative
writing to keep it feeling fresh and inventive.
This was easily as strong a season as any it has
had.
The DVD of the 5th season of "Medium' offers
up a widescreen transfer that looks pretty good.
Though I'm not sure I like the series' 'shaky-cam'
effect that is used a little too often, but once
you get used to it, it is not too bad. The discs
also deliver a very nice 5.1 audio track. Paramount
also opted to continue to package the set using
the 'thinpack' cases, which I really like (they
allow the box set to take up a lot less room on
the shelf).
While there aren’t a huge number of special
features on this set, what is offered up isn’t
too bad. “The Making of Season 5”
is a fairly lengthy behind the scenes piece (coming
in just under 30 minutes) and delivers some interesting
bits of interview snippets from the cast and crew.
“Apocalypse… Now” is a short
feature that focuses primarily on that particular
episode. “Curious Maria” follows actress
Maria Lark (middle daughter Bridgette) taking
a tour of the production offices and interviewing
various employees for a school project. Finally
we have Jake Weber interviewing Arquette. What
could normally be a rather slow feature is actually
quite entertaining thanks to Weber.
With this 5th season, both "Medium"
and its star still surprise me, and while it doesn’t
exactly rank amongst my very favorite shows, still
managed to entertain me far more than I would
have expected. Paramount's DVD release is well
worth a watch and I'm actually looking forward
to catching some of the series as it airs its
6th season on a new network.
Episodes:
Soul Survivor
Things to Do in Phoenix When You’re Dead
A Person of Interest
…About Last Night
A Taste of Her Own Medicine
Apocalypse…Now?
A Necessary Evil
Truth Be Told
All in the Family
Then…and Again
The Devil Inside (Part 1)
The Devil Inside (Part 2)
How to Make a Killing in Big Business (Parts 1
& 2)
How to Make a Killing in Big Business (Part 3)
The Man in the Mirror
The First Bite Is the Deepest
The Talented Ms. Boddicker
Bring Me the Head of Oswald Castillo
Starring: Patricia Arquette, Jake Weber, Miguel
Sandoval, David Cubitt
Extras: The Making of Medium Season 5; Script
to Screen: “Apocalypse…Now?”;
Jake and Patricia Q & A; Curious Maria
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 10/6/2009
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment
We'll give Medium: Season 5 a B.
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